


New witch in town

by seasidestars



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), M/M, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Slow Burn, Witch AU, Witchcraft, modern witches, nonbinary pidge, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8016280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasidestars/pseuds/seasidestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Keith didn't want a lot of things in life. He had no unrealistic expectations; that was a luxury he gave up on after his 5th foster family."</p><p>Fic inspired by catnippackets' modern witch AU and all the head canons people sent them.<br/>Tags and rating might change.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coffee shops and memories

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing fan fiction so please be gentle. If something looks strange or if I messed up the grammar please tell me (writing in english is hard okay?) Aiming for longer chapters in the future, right now I just want to get this started.  
> No witchy things yet, but no worries, it's coming soon!  
> [catnippackets' witch au](https://catnippackets.tumblr.com/tagged/witch-au)

Keith didn't want a lot of things in life. He had no unrealistic expectations; that was a luxury he gave up on after his 5th foster family. Life wasn't easy. He had no “dream job”, no “dream house”. All he wanted was to go to university, get a job in his field, live in a comfortable place, and finally feel like he was where he was supposed to be.

It started well enough. His last foster family helped him get emancipated, so at 17 years old he was legally independent. He moved in with his friend, Shiro, and felt like things were finally going to be okay. He worked part time, saving up as much money as he could. He had good grades, he passed his drivers test, and with a little help from Shiro he bought a motorbike. It was a little worn, the red paint chipping in places, but it was his, it was fast, and Keith felt his problems melt away as he rode on the narrow streets of the city.

 

Keith learned a long time ago that for some reason things barely went the way they were supposed to. He absentmindedly adjusted his baseball cap and stared at the stream rising from the machine in front of him. When he thought he cup had enough coffee to keep anyone up for the rest of the day he carefully slipped the lid on and called the name scribbled on in black marker.

A woman in her 40's stepped to the counter, sporting what his colleagues dubbed the _"I want to speak to the manager"_ haircut. Keith did his best to smile, or at least not look like he was ready to kill a man.

"Here you go ma'm," he said, putting the drink on the counter. The woman did not look impressed.

"About time! Do you know how long I've been waiting?" Keith thought it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, but he held his tongue.

"You teenagers really need to learn some respect." She glared at Keith. "We are paying you to do your job, the least you can do is hurry up."

It took all Keith's willpower to not roll his eyes. _'Hurry up_.' It's not like it takes a certain time for the machine to make the coffee, he can't really do anything about that. But he couldn’t say that, not if he wanted to keep his job, so he sent – what he hoped was – an apologetic smile to the woman.

"Sorry about that, ma'm. I'll make sure to be faster next time."

Fortunately it wasn't a busy day so Keith spent the remaining of his shift in relative peace. He couldn't wait to go home. Not like the one bedroom apartment he rented in that little old building ever felt like _home,_ but at least there were no entitled customers demanding to be served. Keith missed his last place. He missed his job in the book shop. And Keith missed Shiro more than anything.

 

It's been 9 months since the older man disappeared. It was around midterms last year and he was cramming for the exams, stressed, tired, and with barely any time to even eat.

When all the exams were over he tried to call Shiro to check in with him, to tell him the exams went okay. But nobody picked up. He tried a few times in the following days, sent texts, but there was never any reply. He was starting to worry, checking his phone more and more often, and when the weekend rolled around he got on his motorbike and drove home.

The usual thrill of riding his bike was now replaced with worry and anxiety, and the bad feeling he had since his first unsuccessful phone call was now stronger than ever. His stomach was a tight knot and he couldn't stop thinking. Shiro would never ignore his calls. Something bad must have happened. _What if he just lost his phone?_ But Shiro would have came by to tell him, he wouldn't let Keith worry about him.

They were close, and they got along well. During the year or so they've spent living together Shiro became something like an older brother to Keith. He helped him with his homework, watched movies with him, listened to his problems, and all in all it was the closest Keith has ever gotten to having a real family. Shiro was the one who helped him get his bike, he was the one who taught him how to cook, and he was the one who suggested his old university for Keith. He did so much for him all while being a senior and holding down a part time job. He always looked out for him, even when he started to work for Galra Corporation's “Kerberos” program and Keith started his freshman year.

Keith stopped in front of the building, hastily shutting off the engine and parking his bike. His heart was beating fast as he entered the building. He ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and stopped in front of their door, out of breath, hands slightly shaking. He calmed his breathing, and knocked on the door. Even without meaning to, he knocked the rhythm they always used. Almost immediately he heard someone shout “ _coming_ ” from inside. A second later the door opened revealing a stranger wearing an off-white shirt, holding a beer and his hands and looking at Keith with a bored expression.

"What do you want?" the stranger asked, scratching his neck with his free hand.

"I'm looking for Shiro? Is he home?"

"Who?"

"Takashi Shirogane? He lives here?"

"There's no Tak-shi living here, kid," the man said, pronouncing Shiro's name in a strange way. Keith pressed on.

"But he lived here! I was here just 2 weeks ago!"

"Well, I moved in a week ago. Even if the guy you're looking for lived here, he sure ain't living here now."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Keith asked, his voice higher than he meant to. Something was definitely wrong here.

"Uh, I think he was in some kind of accident? Don't really care. Look, kid, I'm watching a football game and I don't have time for this."

Keith felt like his stomach suddenly dropped hundreds of feet. He just stared at the man, not wanting to believe what he just heard. When the man saw he wasn't going to get any kind of response he shoot him an annoyed look and closed the door.

Looking back Keith wasn't sure how he got back to his dorm, he couldn't remember the ride back, all he could think of was Shiro while the stranger's words echoed in his mind.

 _“He was in some kind of accident_. _”_ Shiro, who practically adopted him.

 _“_... _some kind of accident_. _”_ Shiro, who became the only stable thing in Keith's messy life.

 _“_... _accident_. _”_ Shiro. His only family.

 

"Keith."

Keith got pulled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He took a step back and looked at the other teenager.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Your shift's over. I'm here to take over," the other guy said, winking at him in a overly friendly way.

 

Keith was still deep in his thoughts as he exited the coffee shop. It was around lunch time, the streets busy with people on their breaks, the hot summer sun shining down on them. Keith adjusted the straps of his backpack and started walking home. His current place was only a few minutes away, but he remembered he should buy some things on his way home. He was out of bread again, and his milk went bed a few days ago (an unpleasant fact he learned when he took a big sip of it the other day). He was checking his shopping list on his phone when someone passed him and he heard a familiar voice.

"… there's no need, Allura, I told you I bought lunch with me, I'm just getting a coffee because I couldn't sleep last night."

Keith stopped so suddenly the person behind him nearly walked into him. He mumbled an apology, eyes frantically scanning the crowd. Finally he spotted the source of the voice just a little behind him. The man was talking on his phone, and his face...

Keith called after him, breath short, voice wavering with uncertainty.

"Shiro?"


	2. Witchy pasts and rivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with the second chapter! I'm sorry it took so long but I had family visiting and then I was occupied with halloween so I was kind of busy with other things.  
> Anyway, I hope you guys like it, if there are any grammatical or spelling mistakes please tell me, I wrote most of this in the middle of the night.
> 
> If you want to see updates and know when I'm uploading the next chapter follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/seaside_stars)

” _Shiro_?”

The man froze in place and looked back, right at Keith, eyes widening in disbelief. Phone still held by his ear, mouth hanging slightly open, looking at Keith like he saw a ghost. Keith couldn't believe it. He spent months looking for Shiro, not knowing what happened to him.  
After rough days, when he was lying in his bed under the sheets trying to blink back the tears, he even believed Shiro died after the accident. But he was here, he was really here, just outside the coffee shop where Keith worked in the past few months. Keith couldn't believe his eyes.

Shiro shook his head a little as if he was trying to clear his thoughts and spoke into his phone, his gaze not leaving Keith even for a moment.

“Allura, I need to go, I'll call you back later.”

For a moment neither of them said anything. Keith noticed a few very visible changes in Shiro's appearance and his heart tightened. When he last saw him he was a young man with dark hair and a handsome, smooth face. But now there was a white streak in his hair and a large scar running across the bridge of his nose.

Keith didn't know what to say or what to do. Shiro was finally here, he finally found him - and yet he couldn't move.  
Luckily he didn't have to. After a moment Shiro's whole face relaxed as he smiled at him and closed the distance between them, pulling him into a warm hug. Keith clung to him, burying his face into his shoulder, shutting his eyes closed tight. They stood like that for a minute or so, Shiro rubbing smoothing circles into Keith's back, while Keith tried to process what just happened.

“It's okay, Keith. I'm here.”

 

“So... what happened? Where were you?”

They were sitting in the coffee shop, at one of the smaller tables. Shiro ordered an iced coffee while Keith asked Tim for a glass of water. Despite working at a coffee shop he was never a big fan of the  
drink.

“I don't really like to talk about it” Shiro said, looking uncomfortable. “Is it okay if I just told you the short version, at least for now?”

Keith gave him a nod. Short version, long version, he didn't care as long as Shiro was there.

“You'll have to excuse me, a few parts are still a little blurry, I can't remember everything...”Shiro said, waving his hand a little. The motion caught Keith's eyes and he stared at the limb.

“Shiro. What happened to your hand?!”

Shiro's hand was a hard looking gray material, fingers and joints darker, almost appearing black. The other man gave Keith a small, sad smile.

“It's actually almost my whole arm, not just the hand. You just noticed it?”

“Well, my thoughts were pretty much occupied with you actually being alive, so yeah, I just noticed” Keith said a little harsher than he intended it. At Shiro's surprised look he took a deep breath and spoke again. “Sorry. I didn't... Is that a prosthetic? What happened?”

“I was in a car accident...” Shiro started but Keith interrupted him almost immediately.

“Yeah, I know. Actually, that's the only thing I know. And I could hardly find anything even about that.”

“As I said” Shiro continued, giving Keith a pointed look “I was in an accident. It was... really bad. They had to amputate most of my arm. I was in a pretty bad shape. I was in the hospital when I met Allura. She was volunteering, and we started to talk. She arranged everything so I could get the prosthetic. She was so kind.” Keith couldn't help but notice the affectionate smile Shiro had when he talked about her.

“But the treatments weren't cheep even with her help, and without a job I wouldn't have been able to pay rent and the hospital bills.”

“Without a job?”

“Galra Comp. fired me just before the accident. So Allura offered me to crash at her place until I got back on my feet. She even got all my stuff from the apartment.”

“So that's why I found a total stranger when I went home” Keith mumbled for himself.

Shiro sent him an apologetic smile.

“I asked Allura to leave a message for you, since I couldn't call you with a totally destroyed phone, but I guess it got mixed up with other things. I tried to find you after I got better, but when I went to the university they said you weren't a student there?”

“Oh. Yeah, I... kinda flunked out?”

“You did _what_? Keith, you worked so hard to get in!”

“I know! I know, okay? But you were gone and I had no idea what to do! I was alone and I wanted to find you but I didn't even know if you were alive!”

Shiro was about to say something when his phone started to buzz. He sighed as he unlocked the phone, eyes skimming through the text message.

“Damn it, it's already this late?” he asked, starting to get up. “My lunch break ended 10 minutes ago, our delivery boy is waiting for me to come back. I'm sorry, Keith, but I have to go back to work. When do you have some time to talk?”

“I'm working tomorrow, but I'm free the day after that” Keith said. He wanted Shiro to stay but he couldn't just ask the man to skip work.

“Come by the store, we're open until five. But if you can come before noon it might be better, we have less customers then. We could talk in peace.”

After Shiro explained where Castle Altea was ( _What a strange name for a shop_ , Keith thought) he took off in a hurry. Keith followed his figure with his eyes until he disappeared into the crowd.

 

“Hey Red.”

Keith crouched down, quickly closing the door before he started petting his cat. He felt himself more relaxed after feeling her smooth fur under his fingers. The small feline affectionately rubbed against his hand, purring loudly. Keith felt exhausted and hungry. He made a beeline to the kitchen, his cat at his heel, and opened the fridge. It was almost empty, just few things scattered on the shelves. The lamp inside blinked sadly a few times.

Keith mentally kicked himself.

“I forgot to buy groceries” he told Red. She meowed back at him, head tilted a little. She watched closely as Keith rummaged around the tiny kitchen, trying to find something edible. After raiding all the shelves he settled for making pasta. He found an unopened jar of pesto behind an almost empty box of cereal and he thanked his lucky star for not having to eat plain pasta.

While he was waiting for the water to boil he fed Red. The black cat was usually the only bright spot in his dull days. He was pretty sure it was forbidden to have pets in his apartment, but the landlord hasn't checked on him since he moved in, and it was not like Red could make the dark place worse than it already was.

“You wouldn't believe the day I had” he muttered, scratching her behind the ears. “I'm not sure I believe it.”

 

The next day went by quickly and soon Keith found himself at the address Shiro gave him. It was surprisingly close to the coffee shop, no wonder they ran into each other.

He couldn't help fidgeting nervously with his phone.

Castle Altea was already a strange thing to name a shop, but when he saw the tarot card decks and dried herbs in the window he wondered if he was at the right place. He checked the note in his phone to be sure – it still had the same address and the shop's name in it - and entered.

Hearing the small bells above the door the silver haired woman behind the counter looked up from her book. She smiled at Keith.

“Hi! Can I help you?”

Keith looked around curiously. The interior was dark but not cold or unfriendly. It was all dark wood counters and shelves, glass cases, and so many things, Keith didn't know where to look first.

There were candles in different sizes and colors, crystals, vials filled with water and liquids he didn't recognize, dried herbs hanging in bundles, tarot cards, knives, books, fabrics with symbols on them, mortars, jars, and close to the book shelves a few armchairs. In the air there was the unmistakeable smell of incense.

Keith was sure about two things. One: this was the strangest shop he's ever been to. Two: Shiro was definitely not here.

“Uhm, I'm looking for Shiro? He told me to come by today...”

“Oh, you must be Keith! I'm Allura, I'm the owner. Shiro told me you were coming by. He's out right now but he should be back shortly.”

Keith unlocked and locked his phone a few times, trying to occupy his hands. He was anxious even before he came to the small shop and now he was standing there in an uncomfortable silence. What was he supposed to do now? Would it be rude to stay in the shop if he wasn't going to buy anything? Should he just wait outside? But it was so hot out and the shop was pleasantly cool.

Allura must have sensed Keith's inner struggle because she set down her book and sent him an encouraging smile.

“You're welcome to stay if you want. There are a few armchairs over there, or you could look around if you're interested” after a short break she added “Don't be afraid to ask questions if anything catches your eye.”

Keith scratched the back of his neck - a habit he picked up from Shiro - and looked around once more. The armchairs looked comfortable and he was kind of curious about the knives he saw on display, but he turned back to Allura.

"Actually, I do have a question."

"Ask away" said Allura, putting a scrap of paper in her book to mark the page.

"What... what kind of store is this, exactly?" Keith asked, motioning around the room. Everything in there looked so strange, so out of place in the always growing and rushing city. It was like stepping into another word, so alien, so unusual, and so... exciting.

"Well" Allura said "I guess you could call it a New Age shop. But in simple terms it's a shop for witches."

Allura's statement was followed by silence. Keith wasn't sure if she was joking or if she was telling the truth. But seeing her serious face he guessed the later.

"Witches?"

"Yes. I know it must sound silly..." she started, but Keith interrupted her.

"No, not really."

"Oh?" Allura asked with eyebrows drawn high. "Most people who are not practicing the craft just assume I'm joking. So, you don't think this is strange?"

"Strange? Definitely. Silly or just a joke?" Keith shook his head. "I mean I...."

"Yes?"

Keith suddenly felt insecure under Allura's intense gaze.

"Uh, I mean, I kinda looked into the whole Wicca thing a few years ago."

Allura's bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement.

"You're interested in witchcraft?" Her voice higher and louder than it had been, eyes wide, and smile growing.

"I was but..." Keith wasn't sure if he wanted to discuss this with someone who was still actively into these things. But he never talked about this with anybody, not even Shiro, and who better to tell it to than a witch?

"Well, I couldn't really get into the religion part of it? The goddesses, deities, that kind of stuff. It just... it just wasn't for me. So I gave up and I haven't even thought about it lately."

Allura nodded, looking as if she heard similar confessions before. It made Keith a little less anxious.

"Yes, that seems to happen to a lot of witches. They only hear about Wicca and they assume it's the only way. And if the religion is not for them they just stop. But!" Allura exclaimed, clapping her hands together "The good news is that it's not your only option! There are so many kinds of witchcraft, and you can be a secular witch, too, meaning you don't work with deities. I have a really good book for beginners if you're interested."

Keith just nodded and followed her to the bookshelves. There she pointed out a thin book and began to summarize its contents. She was just starting to talk about the easy spells it had for beginners when a thought occurred to Keith. If Allura was a witch, and this was a shop for witches, did Shiro working here mean...?

"Hey Allura?" Keith spoke up while the other was flipping through the book, looking for something she wanted to show Keith.

"Hm?" she replied, not even looking up.

"Is Shiro...a witch?"

Allura looked up to that, then she smiled after noticing something behind Keith.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Keith was about to ask what she meant when the bells over the door began to chime, and hot air washed over them. Turning around Keith saw Shiro, closing the door behind him.

"Shiro! We were just talking about you!" Allura greeted the man, stepping next to Keith.

"Should I be concerned?" Shiro asked, sending them both a playful smile. "Hey Keith! Have you been waiting for long?" he asked, setting down three brown paper bags on one of the small tables scattered around the shop, then pulled Keith into a tight hug. Keith wrapped his arms around the other, instantly feeling his body relax.

"Not really" he mumbled into Shiro's shirt.

Shiro let go of him and picked up the bags. Keith felt a little embarrassed, after spending 9 month alone he was no longer used to casually display affection in front of others. He crossed his arms defensively as Shiro offered one of the bags to Allura.

"Sorry I'm so late, there was a huge line at the bakery but I managed to get our favorites"

Allura made a happy sound and moved back behind the counter, now happily munching on a pink macaron.

Shiro motioned towards the armchairs and Keith sat down. They were just as comfortable as they looked. He accepted the croissant Shiro offered him and absentmindedly bit into it. He was wondering what to ask first. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, all three of them eating their baked goods, Allura buried in her book once again, and Shiro plopped down in the other armchair. But he wanted to talk. Should he ask if Shiro was a witch? Or should he leave that question for later?

Before he could make up his mind Shiro sat up straighter and turned towards him.

"So, what were you two talking about while I wasn't here? If you told Allura any embarrassing stories I'm confiscating the rest of your croissant."

Allura looked up from her book at that.

"Embarrassing stories? Oh, do tell" she winked at Keith then continued. "Unfortunately Keith wasn't in the mood to embarrass you, so we just talked about witchcraft. We discovered some... interesting facts."

"Like what?"

Allura looked at Keith as if asking for permission. He shrugged, it didn't really matter who told Shiro.

"Well, for example the fact that Keith was interested in witchcraft. He even looked up things regarding Wicca."

"What?"

Shiro's eyes were comically wide. Keith couldn't help but laugh.

"It was years ago, before I moved in with you."

"But... but why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because nobody knew? I wasn't the best kid, and I don't think foster parents would want me if I started with _'Hi, I'm Keith, I practice witchcraft and do rituals. Can you buy me this expensive knife?''_ " his voice dripping with sarcasm. "So I thought it was best if you didn't know. It didn't last long anyway. I stopped pretty early." Keith shifted in his seat, now fully facing Shiro."Anyway, I have a question for you" he said, pointing a finger at him. Shiro just raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Are you a witch?"

Shiro sighed and sent a glare towards the counter.

"Did Allura tell you?"

"No, but I'll take that as a 'yes'. So, you are a witch. Since when?"

"Got into it a few years ago. It's actually how I ended up with this job. Allura found my things when Coran and her were getting my stuff from the apartment and asked me about it. The rest is history."

"And you never told me because...?"

"Same reason as you, I guess. Didn't want to scare you away."

"So, we were both interested in essentially the same thing and we both hid it because we thought the other wouldn't understand?" Keith summarized.

"It looks like it, yes."

Keith buried his face in his hands and started to laugh.

"We are such idiots!"

 

In the following days they fell into a comfortable routine. Keith stopped by the shop before or after his shifts, often bringing Shiro (and Allura if she was also in) some coffee or pastries. The rest of the time they texted each other. They also had a group chat with Allura, which a lot of times only consisted of their coffee and food orders, and occasional links to blogs about witchcraft.

On a peculiarly hot day Keith was on his way to Castle Altea. Shiro texted him earlier saying he might not be there when Keith arrived, but Allura would be in so Keith thought he would just wait there.

After greeting Allura he sat down in the armchair he claimed for himself and opened his brand new copy of “Basic guide for witchlings”. He ended up buying it the first time he was in the store, and the more he read it the more he agreed with Allura. It really was a great book. It covered the basics and introduced a lot of things in an interesting and easy to understand manner. Keith already decided he wanted to look more into using candles and fire in magic, but for now he was content with learning the different ways to cast a circle.

He was just starting to read the next chapter about cleansing and charging when the door opened.

"If I ever have to deliver in a weather like this again I will die." Looking up Keith saw that the guy entering the shop had a tan brown skin and short brown hair and he was currently fanning himself with his hands, sweat glistening on his skin. But what grabbed Keith attention was his clothes. Matching the incredible heat that was outside he wore shorts and crop top with "With my witches" printed on it. _Subtle,_ Keith thought.

"I'm sorry, if the weather stays like this I'll make sure you'll do the deliveries in the morning or in the late afternoon. How does that sound?"

"Better" he said, stepping behind the counter and fishing out a bottle of water from a bag "but I sure as hell won't do it around noon ever again."

Keith was about to go back to his book, not wanting to seem like he eavesdropped when the other noticed his presence.

"What are you doing here? What is HE doing here, Allura?" he asked, face screwed up in an angry scowl, finger pointing accusingly at Keith, water bottle held forgotten in his other hand.

Allura and Keith both looked at him confused.

"Do you know him, Lance?"

"Do I... of course I know him! He's my fucking rival!"

Keith looked at him. He looked vaguely familiar but rival? He put the book in his lap, crossed his arms, and looked him over.

"And you are?"

The other boy almost lost it at that, face getting red, hands curled into fists, eyes glaring at him.

"I'm Lance, your rival?"

"You keep saying that but I don't even know who you are."

"Oh, come on dude! We went to the same uni? Had a bunch of classes together? I can't believe you don't remember!"

"Oh, right, weren't you like waitlisted for a few classes? You kept trying to sneak in."

"Yeah, I was waitlisted, but thanks to you dropping out I got in. So now I'm one of the best in class while you... well, you're a dropout."

The door opened and Shiro walked in, holding coffee cups in his hands. He seemed to sense the tension because he looked at Allura behind the counter for help, but after all she could offer was a shrug, he turned towards the two boys.

"I see you met Keith."

"Yeah I did... wait, hold up, you know him, too?"

Shiro made a face, trying to decide if Lance was serious or not.

"Of course I know him, he's my brother. I told you about him already. Were you not paying attention?"

Lance just stared at the older man, mouth hanging open. Then something seemed to click for him and he all but shouted.

" _Your_ Keith is _Mullet Head_ Keith? What the fuck Shiro?"


End file.
